Alexander M. Herman, Ph.D.

I joined the Wythe lab in the Fall of 2016 with the goal of expanding my scientific training and experimental toolkit. I received my bachelor’s degree in biology in 2009 from Marymount University, during which time I studied the role of intracellular chaperone proteins in endoplasmic reticulum regulation and protein folding. This was followed shortly thereafter by a master’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Georgetown University where I began my foray into neuroscience. During that time, I studied the interaction of pathogenic proteins in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

In 2011, I joined the program in developmental biology at Baylor College of Medicine. As a doctoral student I researched hypothalamic and forebrain circuits that guide diverse mammalian behaviors. In particular, I helped uncover a node in the brain that is important for modulating feeding. After receiving my Ph.D. in 2016, I decided to broaden my training into different areas of biology, with the goal of bridging my doctoral and postdoctoral training.

The nervous system and vascular system are intricately and intimately related. During development, each system is influenced by the other and we are only now barely beginning to unravel the relationship these systems have in numerous diseases. My hope is to one day combine my research on vascular biology with my training in neuroscience to help better understand the cross-talk between nervous and vascular systems during development and disease.